


Red

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: First Times, M/M, None - Freeform, Plot What Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 01:32:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/792491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Would Blair look good as a redhead?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red

**Author's Note:**

> None

## Red

by Sarah Saint Ives

Author's disclaimer: Not ours but we love them.

* * *

Red  
by Sarah Saint Ives 

"What's your favorite color?" Blair asked, spreading out a four-page selection of tiny colored circles. "Which one stands out?" 

Jim studied the circles and pointed to one that was bright red. "That one." he answered. 

Blair smiled and put the circles away, disappeared into his bedroom a few minutes and returned with a magazine. "Which model do you think is the most attractive?" he asked. 

Jim gave him a tolerant gaze. "What's going on, Chief? Are you bored?" 

"No, I'm conducting an experiment. Would you please participate?" The ever-experimenting anthropologist tucked his long, thick curls behind ears that were not large enough to contain them. 

Jim sighed and began to flip through the magazine. He glimpsed at each page of girls and finally leafed back through until he found the beautiful redhead wearing a bright green outfit. "There. She's the most attractive." he said, hoping the experiment was over so he could get back to his television program. 

"Wow. You like _her_." When Blair grinned, his bright blue eyes twinkled. 

"Yeah. She's pretty." 

"Okay, one more thing." 

Jim's patience was strained. "Sandburg, is there a point to all this?" he asked. 

"Of course there's a point to it, Jim." Blair said logically. "I just want to know if you'd like me as a redhead?" 

Jim drew in a long breath. 

"How about if I cut my hair short? Would I look better with short, red hair?" 

"No, Blair. Why would you consider dying your hair?" 

Blair looked down. "I'm just thinking." 

"About cutting off your hair? About dying it? Blair, you look fine. You don't need any improvement. Nothing about you needs to be changed." 

Blair nodded but did not meet his eyes. Jim muted the television and laid a hand on his arm. "What's going on, Chief?" 

"Nothing. Nothing. Like all living creatures, I'm just trying to make myself...more attractive." 

"For who? Did somebody say something bad about the way you look?" 

"No. I just don't feel very attractive lately." 

"Who made you feel this way? I know you, Blair. Somebody said something and hurt your feelings." 

"No, really, Jim. It's just that no matter what I wear, how attentive I am, what I say or do, I feel totally uneffective. I'm not trying to be impressive or extremely sexy...just attractive enough to rate an occasional wink or an honest smile that lasts longer than two seconds." 

"This is directed at a specific person, isn't it?" Jim perceived. 

"Well, yeah. But that person is totally oblivious." 

Jim nodded, thinking. "Do I have to guess who it is or are you going to tell me?" 

Blair's troubled eyes strayed. With a shrug, he got up from the couch and escaped into his bedroom without answering. Jim sat thinking about it, puzzled for a moment. As the truth dawned on him, he found himself pleased to the point of grinning. "Wow." he breathed to himself. Getting on his jacket, he left the apartment. 

* * *

Blair had emerged from his bedroom an hour after their unfinished discussion to find Jim gone. Feeling cowardly and miserable, he went to the kitchen to fix dinner, hoping his partner would return while it was still hot. 

Jim, wearing his Jags cap, entered while he was scrubbing boiled-over spaghetti sauce off the stovetop. "Hi." the sentinel said, smiling. 

"Hi." Blair returned, trying not to stare. Something was different about Jim. "Where have you been?" 

"I went to the hair-stylist's." 

Blair was now very interested. "Let me see what you did." he said, approaching slowly. 

"I'm not sure you'll like it." Jim said. 

Reaching for the cap, Blair removed it from his friend's head and stared at flaming red hair. "Oh, shit, Jim. Why did you do that?" 

"I'm not sure. I think I needed to feel more attractive." 

Blair grimaced. "Now you're making fun of me." 

"No, I'm not. I'm trying to be attractive to you." Jim caught his face between his two hands, enforcing eye contact. "Am I, Blair?" 

"Attractive to _me_?" 

"Yeah. Did it work?" 

Blair's astonishment was profound. "Jim," he said, his hands on the taller man's short red hair. "You have _always_ been attractive to me. It doesn't matter what your hair looks like. It wouldn't even matter if you didn't _have_ any hair. That's not important at all!" 

Jim smiled as if he had made the ultimate point. "Right." 

The smile on Blair's sweet face confirmed that he understood. "I'm sorry." he said quietly. 

"Don't be sorry. Sometimes you have to knock me over the head before I catch onto what you're feeling. Maybe it goes both ways. You know, for somebody with heightened senses, I can be pretty senseless sometimes. I know who you were trying to be attractive for. Come here, babe." 

Blair stepped into the circle of his arms and kissed him passionately. "I love you, Jim." he whispered. 

"I love you, too, Blair." Jim captured his mouth again in a second, longer kiss. 

When it ended, Blair drew him to the couch and they sat together. "You like my hair long?" 

"I love it long." Jim's fingers threaded through the long locks. "You can do what you want with it, but you couldn't possibly be more attractive than you already are. You're beautiful." 

Blair blushed and he snuggled close. 

"So, do you like my hair red?" Jim asked. 

Looking up at him, Blair smiled and nodded. "I love it." he said. 

* * *

End

 


End file.
